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My 1st Block Algebra II class brought breakfast for our lunch room employees on 11-20-20. It was one of my male student's idea!!!

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I bought a Baby gift for the shower for Jacob (tech) and his wife, Kayla (one of my former students).

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Supporting one of my Algebra II students after the LCHS vs Wayne Co. JV Girls Basketball Game on 12-4-20

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12-4-20  LCHS vs Wayne Co.  JV Girls Basketball with Jada Freeman

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Supporting Football Game with Jeff Davis on 10-2-20 with a former LCHS Colleague

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10-2-20  LCHS vs. Jeff Davis Football Game

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Supporting the Homecoming Football Game on 10-30-20

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Football Game Nov. 20

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Merry Christmas Candy Canes

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Happy End of 9-weeks Cookies

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Happy Halloween

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Happy Halloween

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Happy Halloween

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Christmas Cards: Ms. Momo and I gave Christmas cards to the teachers we cover for at lunch. Bryant, Stanford/Reviere, Creekmore, Gibson, Podunavac/Hewitt

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Silver beads for Tide’s Got Class Day

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1. Leave work on time
2. Do not take work home to interfer with famiy time
3. All students will feel comfortable asking for help.

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Ms. Momo and I discussed our Unit 3 test and decided to allow the students to remediate and reassess by completing the test review and Unit 3 test on Edgenuity. Students that did well on the test will work creating a polynomial roller coaster.

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I keep all the notes that students have given me over the years and when I am having a really tough day I read through some of them to remind me why I am teaching. If that doesn’t work, then I go to the karate school and kick and punch a bag.

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I want to build positive relationships with my students. The smaller classes, time with them before school and longer time between classes has helped me connect with them on a more personal level. I also love the idea of the Blue Tide Shout Outs.

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I loved “teaching” my younger brothers and knew from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I loved my math classes and decided I wanted to be a math teacher. I want to help students realize that math isn’t always as hard and complex as they think and it can even be fun. 

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I have forever taken work home with me...no more. I want to love coming to work and not dreading what I have to do.
1) I do not take away time from my family in the afternoons and weekends to do work.
2) I do not allow students to settle for "just passing" they must aim higher.
3) Rules and consequences must be fair and consistent for every student

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I love using Google Forms! I am working on building the love for math into students who have struggled with math all of their lives or just didn't like it so they didn't try. By using the  “Edit after submit” in my support class on unit/module summaries, students are able to see the mistakes they made and are able to correct those mistakes immediately. What used to be "I just want to pass and get by" has now turned into students competing with themselves to earn an A in math. Can I get a HALLELUJAH!?!

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For the end of 2020, I got all of my math peeps a roll of toilet paper to finish out this "crappy" year! ( I actually enjoyed most of 2020)

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I have found this tip to be very useful when taking notes. If a student was absent, I add a link for them to see the notes on my Google Classroom weekly agenda.
*It is also very helpful for pictures when creating quizzes and tests.

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How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad

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You can use the Notes app to scan documents and add signatures on your iPhone or iPad.

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A way that we had fun in class and let the students get up (social distance style) was to give questions and have them write their answer on sticky notes. After they completed the answers they were given specific areas around the room to place their sticky's. When I reviewed the answers, if anyone had the answers correct I folded their sticky and put it in a bowl. This gave them a chance to win prizes. The more times they got the answers correct, the more chances to win.

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I visited a student at work!

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Thanks to Mrs.P, I was able to know that this student appreciated me pushing her. I didn't let her just quit because she passed. I pushed her to score higher because she was capable!

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This student hated math, but I did EVERYTHING in my power to make her like it and learn from me. To hear "Math is fun when you learn it!" was the best things I could have ever heard!!!

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I never know if I have helped them or not, but I sincerely always try...this makes me believe that I must have done something right!

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Students love being acknowledged and treated!

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I had one student who completed their Edgenuity before Christmas break and had to send a shoutout to her and her mom!

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I am trying to use Google Jamboard when I tutor online with my virtual students. This video gave some very neat tips to use! Check it out.

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How to Use Google Jamboard for Remote Teaching

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EXERCISE! I cannot stress enough how much exercise helps the brain with clarity. When I exercise, even if just a short walk, I ALWAYS feel so much better and it de-stresses this little brain that I have.
One of my favorite pics is attached!

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It is crazy how much a student will work for a snack ;)

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Treating a class in celebration of a sweet 16 in the room!

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I love using Google Forms for my support class. Because these students usually struggle with math and normally do not like it, I never give tests. Instead they are called Summaries. With that in mind, students are able to see there scores immediately that they are finished and can see the mistakes they have made. Because Google has made it so simple, there is an edit mode that students can edit their submission and correct their mistakes. It even lets you choose how many attempts you want them to make. If you ever need anyone to show you how it works, send me an email and I will be glad guide you through.

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Some of you may already know this, but for those of you that don’t, I am learning that cultivating a relationship with your colleagues can have a major impact on your teaching career. These individuals can be your mentors, your friends, or your go-to people when you are in need. I am taking the time to nurture these relationships because these people are turning out to be like family. I am really not sure how admin can help with this goal though due to COVID at this time. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to read about them. Please comment away!

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I bought a whole bunch of Coke Zeros from the Coke Fundraiser. Each morning this week I have been find a Coke Zero labeled with "Share The Magic With ___" that matches to one of my coworkers and bringing it in to surprise them with it. So far I have surprised Coach Taylor and Creekmore - I already have found the one for tomorrow.

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A little late posting but I was able to attend the last football game to cheer on our band and our football team!

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I had my why reinforced today-I received a shout out from a student that said my teaching style made her a better student and that bc of me economics was now her favorite subject. I teach because I love to see students learn, I enjoy being able to interact with my students and how each day is a new day for all of us to learn something new. I am so happy that I get to be a part of students' learning journey. I know how important an education is and how a diploma not only increases the overall income of an individual, but strengthens the country as a whole.

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I am taking on a more active role in Edgenuity on days that are not my office hours to help Mrs. Yeomans so that she can focus on contacting failing students and parents in USH.

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I have an ELL student that has previously struggled with Economics in large part due to the language difference (I wrote of him previously)-he has asked to take his vocab quiz and test on the same day instead of on two separate days. He is now taking both on the same day and this past unit, he did really well on both and this was part of the content that he previously struggled with.

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I had a student completely overwhelmed and struggling with the vocabulary. After speaking with a co-teacher we decided that the student would have a choice in either completing 2 examples, or one sentence. The student was able to turn in late work and he is no longer overwhelmed when asked to complete vocab.

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The kids did really well on a hard test. So I treated them with sweets and sodas.

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Collabrify KWL - Google App tech tool for quick assessment or a TOD.

The kids actually find this fun to do together. It provides my quiet kids an outlet to express themselves without having to talk in front of others. When you understand how to use it... it is so simple and easy.

Collabrify KWL enables students and teachers to employ KWL charting collaboratively! Students can work together, synchronously, in real-time, to share what they know and want to learn about a concept. Then, after a lesson, they can go back and synchronously share what they learned in class. In the “L” frame, teachers can have their students give evidence for what they have learned.  Have a whole class brainstorm the “K” – or break the students in groups.

https://www.imlc.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CollabrifyKWLTutorial.pdf

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My 3rd Block enjoying a Halloween Treat

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My 2nd Block enjoying a Halloween Treat

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My 1st Block enjoying a Halloween Treat

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Late post, but here is me at the Homecoming game!

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This article was just a reminder to me that being positive is so important in the field of education. We may be the only positive impact in a child's life. There are a few great tips/reminders in the article such as: kids have a voice too, check in are important, get to know your kids....etc.

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Guiding children's behavior is something done throughout the day, not just when a child acts in a way that is unsafe or unacceptable. You guide behavior by establishing predictable routines, setting clear rules with children, and modeling kindness and respect. You are also attentive and aware of what is going on. Together, these actions help children feel noticed, confident, and secure. Children experience your attention and guidance as a caring embrace holding everything together. They know you're on their team. (Dombro, Jablon, & Stetson 2011, 58)

This excerpt shapes our thinking as we plan for positive guidance in our classroom at a preschool in Pahoa, Hawaii. Using the three steps of a Powerful Interaction-Be Present, Connect, and Extend Learning-helps us be more successful at building strong, caring relationships with children and families. Powerful Interactions are interactions in which a teacher intentionally connects with a child to extend his or her learning. We also actively plan for guidance, which keeps a positive climate in our classroom. This boosts how we feel at the end of the day and enhances each child's success as a learner.

Here are some strategies we use to plan for positive guidance, keeping a Powerful Interactions approach in mind.

Teamwork makes positive guidance more effective and Powerful Interactions possible!

It took time for us to become an effective teaching team. We had never worked together and had to become acquainted with each other's teaching style. However, we wanted to be a seamless team because children tune in to their significant adults. We strive to coordinate our messages to children and make them clear and consistent. By staying present (step one of a Powerful Interaction) with each other and connected with our eyes, words, laughter, and other cues, we extend children's learning during group times and transitions. Our teamwork has positive effects on children's behavior and the classroom climate. It also gives us more energy to guide children in positive ways and enjoy each day. Three tips help us ensure seamless teamwork:

1. Be clear about roles. When we plan together, we clarify who will do what and when. Our goal is to be predictable about our roles during routines so that the children can anticipate what's going to happen and who to look to for directions. This reduces challenging behaviors significantly. For example, at arrival time, Deborah greets children in our lending library and talks with them about books. At the same time, Danielle greets children and families at the classroom door and then moves around the room to support them as they do morning activities.

2. Make two voices one, literally and figuratively. This helps us deliver clear and cohesive messages to children. Too often children check with one adult and if they don't like the answer, ask the other one. When children hear our voices from different areas of the room, they are more relaxed. We're playful and sometimes silly about how we make our two voices one. We might echo each other's voices melodically, complete each other's sentences when giving directions, or finish each other's rhymes. Danielle says, "There was one little bat in one big cave," while looking over at Deborah who immediately chimes in, "He was so alone and not so brave." The children enjoy the predictability of listening for our voices bouncing back and forth. Sometimes they look at the other adult to see what she'll say.

3. Use frequent check-ins. We continually check in with each other throughout the day about what children are doing and how they are responding to activities and other children. We give each other signals about how things are going. The more we stay present, the easier it is to connect with each other. The result is a calmer classroom and fewer episodes of challenging behaviors. These tips have worked for us:

Be on opposite sides of the room during indoor time to keep things running smoothly.

Scan the room frequently, looking at what children are doing and at one another. Quickly read each other's cues, such as a thumbs-up, smile, nod, or lift of an eyebrow.

Update each other after an interaction with a child or family member. A quick summary or saying "Remind me to tell you about _____ later today" ensures consistency with each other, the children, and their families.

Tune in to those children who need a little more attention. This can prevent challenging situations by catching them before they start.

Use daily arrival time to set the tone for positive guidance.

At the beginning of the year, teachers get to know children and their families through home visits and an orientation period (when a few children come for a few hours each day). During the orientation we introduce our arrival time routines. Our goal is for parents to have positive interactions with their children and for us to have Powerful Interactions with children and family members. Our routine and roles allow us to be present and connect with each child and her family for at least a few minutes. We plan activities that address positive guidance as well as language and literacy and math learning. When the day begins well, most children stay engaged and focused. Our predictable routine has three parts:

1. Offer specific activities in learning centers. We display simple written directions for activities parents and children can do together. While completing the activities is not required, parents and children often do them because they are engaging and they spark ideas to use at home.

2. Write an interactive morning message. The daily message is for families to read to their child as the child points to each word. Part of the message specifically relates to positive guidance. In Hawaiian culture and in our program, we emphasize the values of aloha (kindness), malama (caring), and kuleana (responsibility). To engage families and children in discussion, one question invites reflection about one of these three values. For example, the message might ask, What's one way that you will show malama today? A family member helps the child answer the question, records his answer on a Post-it note, and adds it to a message chart that is on display for the week. Additional messages might ask, "How many letters are in your name?" or "Who brought you to school today?" We discuss the daily message when we gather for group time later in the morning.

3. Create a library. To encourage Powerful Interactions at home, we set up a lending library. Books are arranged in categories (that change periodically) so children can return their book in the morning and make a new selection. Children enjoy talking with Deborah about the books they return and hearing her recommendations for new selections.

Ensure smooth transitions.

As a team, we sustain a warm and friendly classroom climate by planning for and using teamwork to ensure smooth transitions. Over time we have established a repertoire of successful strategies in three main categories:

1. Humor. A light tone gives us energy and invites positive responses from children. Whether it is simply laughing aloud, making up a silly rhyme to give a direction, or singing funny words to a familiar song, we keep our transition times light and engaging. Sometimes we're laughing at each other and our own silliness, which makes the children laugh, too.

2. Puppets. When we gather on the rug between activities, we each wear a finger puppet. The puppets talk about what will happen next, what they observed about cleanup, or the behaviors expected in the next activity. The children know these puppets well and seem completely invested in listening to them. Daisy: Hey Fuzzy, I used my walking feet when I came over to large group. Fuzzy: Me too. We know our kuleana (responsibilities), don't we!

3. Music. Songs and melodies add to the positive climate. When interacting with one child at a time, we use natural, authentic voices. However, when we want to engage the whole group, we find that singing directions captures their attention more than our normal voices. These strategies work for us:

Give verbal directions in a melodic voice.

Use call-and-response or rhymes or something that allows voices to alternate. When we sing songs that have an echo pattern-like "Down by the Bay"-the children know to expect our voices to alternate.

Give directions as lyrics to a familiar song and alternate voices. For example, as it gets close to cleanup, Deborah starts singing to Danielle to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Deborah: Kumu (teacher) Danielle, are you ready to ring the chimes? (2x)

Danielle chimes in,

Yes I am and I'm walking over now

and I am ready to ring the chimes.

Deborah then begins the next verse as she guides the children in cleaning up, and Danielle moves toward the rug to help settle children.

Remember what to do when you hear the chimes . . . (2x)

We clean up our activity,

and walk over to our name,

and sit right down and show Kumu Danielle that you're ready.

We have shared the ways we plan for positive guidance and use Powerful Interactions in our classroom to create a positive climate that prevents many challenging behaviors. The result is an enjoyable, effective, and productive learning environment. We hope you find the suggestions effective and that they spark more ideas for helping children and families.

Photo courtesy of the authors

Reference

Dombro, A.L., J. Jablon, & C. Stetson. 2011. Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children to Extend Their Learning. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

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Planning for Positive Guidance: Powerful Interactions Make a Difference

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Here are some strategies we use to plan for positive guidance, keeping a Powerful Interactions approach in mind.

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This book was a great, easy read book. There was so much truth to the book, "If You Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students!" This reminded me that we as teachers need to "feed" each other.

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I recently read the book The Growth Mindset Playbook. This book is a great book to find your center again. It really encourages you to grow and see that students can grow no matter what is being learned.

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I had a student who needed a little more guidance on an assignment. After a few back and forth questions and answers he completed the assignment and did a great job at that!

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I was able to reassure a parent that he child has been completing all of their work. The part seemed to be overwhelmed and needed a little extra reassurance.

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I sent this email to a student who was struggling on turning in assignments. They were having a hard time posting a video they had to create, however they persevered and was able to turn it in correctly and on time.

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I sent an email to a parent letting her know that her child was up to date on their work and doing a great job completing their assignments.

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I had a student a few weeks ago, share a thank you email for helping her with a topic that she was struggling with. I sent the email below to thank you her for her work and her willingness to be a problem solver.

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I was able to BOO Mrs. Young during Halloween, with a bag full of goodies!

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I sent Mrs. Walker a shout out for making sure my kids don't miss the bus in the mornings!

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I sent Mrs. Swindell a shout out for always being a listening ear and for her encouragement, when I need it the most.

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I sent Ms. K Swindell a small snack for a pick me up!

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I purchase Garcia a small gift as a thank you for all she does and keeping me on the straight and narrow.

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I sent Mr. Mike a shout out for helping keep our school looking so AMAZING!!!!

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I went in with some others to purchase Mrs. Meacie a Birthday present.

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I send shout out to Mr. Taylor in honor of Veteran's Day, thanking her for his service.

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I send shout out to Mr. Pelton  in honor of Veteran's Day, thanking her for his service.

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I send shout out to Mrs. Kuhaneck in honor of Veteran's Day, thanking her for her service.

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Homecoming 2020. I got to support all the LCHS students, but this one holds a dear place in my heart as one of my officers with FCCLA.

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We had some fun with learning the importance of play. The students were given shaving cream on their desk and were able to experience learning from a Pre-K students point of view. We discussed all the ways to use this method.

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We had some fun celebrating Thanksgiving with the Pre-K from a distance of course. We created our very own Disguise a Turkey. I don't know who had more fun Pre-K or the Big Friends.

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Me level III's students were given a children's book to record themselves reading and they had to create 5 props to go with that book. We then shared the recorded video and the students choose 1 of the 5 props and created 1 for each Pre-K student, so Mrs. Garcia could share with the little ones.

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One of my professional goals this year is to complete the CTAE Learn program. Admin can celebrate when all the modules are complete:-)

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I feel that this year has made us all step out of our comfort zone when it comes to technology. I have really enjoyed learning about technology and also the different ways to incorporate it in my classroom. I plan to continue to continue to educate myself the area of technology.

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1. All students can learn no matter what ability level or location of learning.
2. All my kids are mine and deserved to be loved
3. There will be mutual respect amongst myself and students.
4. All students will feel a part of the class whether virtual or face to face.

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From a very young age I have always enjoyed children. I was fortunate in that I was able to help in church and sub for a small private school at a very young age. I enjoy getting to know my kids and to know that I could be the smile that makes some go from a bad day to a great day. I enjoy having a job where I can show kindness and hopefully pass that on to the students who pass through my classes to encourage them to do the same. I enjoy watching kids "lightbulbs" go off when they understand something that they struggle with.

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My final CTAE Learns module that I would like to share is that of Time & Stress Management. This module really hit home with how stress can effect teachers and students. We need to make sure that if our body is showing signs of stress, headache, backache and stomach aches we need to listen to it. Also there were some great time management tips, a few being check your email only twice a day, prioritize, and organize your papers into 3 piles. (1 for keep on desk, 1 to file and the last to trash)

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Another CTAE Learn modules that I completed was entitled, Evaluate Students Online. In this module I realized the importance of a rubric, especially for online students, who need that extra guidance and instruction to refer back to. I was also reminded that open ended questions are vital to online learning, even if they are a pain to grade.

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I completed a CTAE Learn module on how to engage online learners. I learned different ways to encourage students through different types of lessons. I also learned the importance of making the online classroom just as personable as the face to face.

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I didn't get to watch him play football, but because he knew I was coming to a game, he made sure he took a picture with me~

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I can't get him to smile in class, but I got him to smile for me at a game!

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Let's Goooooo Long County! Roll Blue Tide!

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How cool is it to see your student become a Princess! HoCo 2020

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If you are using Google Forms as a way of testing, there are many ways of reading the data including, data into a Pivot Table to read it easier. This helps with knowing what students missed and how to remediate or enrich your students. If you would like to find out how this works, let me know when you are available for me to show and tell.

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Since I didn't get the guys in the math department flowers, I told them "I Mentos to get them something and I knew they would like candy!"

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I gave my math department peeps one of these and signed it on the back. I will never be able to show enough of how grateful I am to be working with this group of fine people! They are the BEST!!!

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I like to give sweet gifts just to cheer people up. Flowers usually do the trick for ladies. I got each of the ladies in the math department a rose to put on their desk for the week!

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Happy Birthday to Mrs. Durrence! My kids and I decorated her door and got her a cute shirt to wear too!

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Happy Birthday to Mr. Earl. My kids and I bought him a bucket of goodies to enjoy at work and decorated the hall so he would feel special!

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I love the kindness and helpfulness of my parapro, Mrs. Davis. She is the best at building me up and I wanted to do something special for her birthday.

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I gave Coach Brace a little gift to show appreciation for his friendly competition on selling Meat Sticks for the FFA. He also popped up at my door to meet me and told me that I was making a difference in one student that we share. It made my day!

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I have never needed a sub, but Mrs. Head has always spoken to me and stops by my room occasionally just to say hey. She told me that she liked how my classroom smelled so I bought her a Glade Plug In!

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Showing my appreciation for his service in the military for Veterans Day!

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I became a teacher because I was the kid who struggled in school.  I try to break down the material that everyone thinks is so HARD to make it easy to comprehend. I try to relate it to their lives and I use lots of COLOR to make the different points stick out to them. (The other part of my why...Neither of my parents graduated high school and none of my 4 siblings went past high school. Education is important to me which is why I am working on my Specialist/Doctorate now.)

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Today in Honors students played a game where they were Chairman of the Fed and in charge of adjusting the federal funds rate to maintain an acceptable level of inflation and unemployment. After each adjustment there is a newspaper headline to help the student determine the next adjustment needed. Students were able to make the connection between employment and consumer spending's effects on the overall economy. I had students looking up supplemental information within the game in order to learn how to successfully influence the economy.

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I have a student that has been doing well in class since he has been taking his test with Mrs. Franco. I noticed last week after the second practice that he was out of sorts bc he was struggling to complete the practice. I reached out to Mrs. Franco and she set up a meeting between the student, Mrs. Litza, and me. Yesterday, we met and the student was able to ask questions regarding the content and Mrs. Litza was able to translate. After the meeting I realized the student needed more time before he took the exam. He will be taking it tomorrow along with the quiz that Mrs. Franco and I decided last week we should hold off on until I was able to meet with him and Mrs. Litza. Yesterday was more eye opening than any email/paperwork/classes regarding ELL students. I am planning on meeting during my planning as many times as needed until my student feels comfortable with the content.